But perhaps the most poignant point in the letter comes when McDonald talks about her own survivor’s guilt as one of many high-profile people of color who have essentially been prosecuted for being victims.

The young Minneapolis transwoman incarcerated for defending herself in a racist and transphobic attack isn’t alone in her experience. Experts say her placement in a men’s facility is just one part of a complex—and dehumanizing—process.

From CeCe McDonald to Trayvon Martin, the question of whether black victims of violence are supposedly “innocent” is irrelevant. What matters it that black and transgender bodies are often under siege, and sometimes we must fight back.